





























LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

Chap. Copyright No. 

Shelfl 


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 








LEGENDS OF THE 


RED CHILDREN 


A SUPPLEMENTARY READER 

FOR 

FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE PUPILS 


Mara L . Pratt-i^^U/IL 



CHICAGO NEW YORK 

Werner School Book Company 


TZ7 

,e 347 


Copyright, 1897, by WERNER SCHOOL BOOK COMPANY 


E«.d Children. 



f ‘ 


t 

i- 


0 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

The Red Children , 5-9 

Shingebiss 10-14 

The Legend of the Lightning 15-20 

A Legend of the South Wind 21-24 

The Star Beautiful 25-28 

The Legend of the Morning Star 29-32 

WlLL-O’ THE-WlSP 33-37 

The Aurora, the White Arch, and the Great Bear 38-44 

The Rainbow 45-49 

The Rain and the Snow 50-52 

The Pine Trees 53-55 

The Lily-Star 56-59 

Legends of the Winds 60-65 

, How the Spring Comes 66-69 

How the Summer Came 70-75 

The Sun a Prisoner 76-81 

Mondamin, the Red Plume 82-86 

Mount Tutokanula 87-90 

The Snail and the Beaver 91-96 

t Legend of the Opeche 97-102 

The Land of the Hereafter.. 103-109 

The Hiawatha Legend 110-117 

The Pole Star 118-121 

The Thunderers 122-128 

3 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

“WONDERFUL TO THE) RED CHILDREN WERE THE WINDS.” 6 

“Ha, Little Shingebiss, How Now can you get Your Food? ” 10 

“You have Wasted all Your Arrows.” 19 

“The Lazy, Soft-Eyed South Wind lay upon His Downy Couch 

of Cloud Mist.” 22 

The Young Hunter 27 

“There You will see Your Sister Shining Out from the Gray.” 31 
“Then a Great Gust of Wind Caught up the Sinking Maiden and 

Carried Her Away.” 35 

“For to the Dragons the Moon is Sweet.” 40 

“A Great White Bear Sprang Out from the Forest ” 42 

“There, Stretching from North to South, Swept a Great Arch ” 47 

“Let us Try,” said the Wild Sea-Gulls 51 

The Tallest Chief in All the Earth 53 

“And the Children Came in Their Tiny Canoes.” 57 

Wezeattah brings War against Etokah 63 

Then Old Winter’s Voice was Still 68 

“But We Must Have Food,” said the Red Men 71 

“ I Will Try,” said the Mole 79 

Then the Brave Warrior and the Tiny Red Plume Wrestled... 83 

There the Little Children Stood 89 

So the Man took the Arrow and the Bow 92 

“Sorrow Not for Me, my Father.” 101 

And When the Young Brave Approached, the Animals Ran Out 

To Meet Him 107 

And as He Sat in His Canoe, Lo ! the Air was Filled with Sweet 

Music 115 


THE RED CHILDREN. 


Many years ago, when this country of ours was 
one great forest stretching from ocean to ocean, 
there dwelt here and there, upon the plains and 
along the river banks, a race of happy little children. 

The Red Children we call them; but they called 
themselves the Children of the Sun. Very free and 
happy they were; for all day long they played be- 
neath the trees and among the grasses. 

The winds and the stars they called their little 
brothers; and when the thunders rolled and the 
beautiful lightnings flashed, when the north wind 
roared and the trees in the great* forests bowed 
before the storm, the Red Children rejoiced and their 
brave little hearts throbbed wflth delight. For some 
day they would be tall, strong warriors; strong like 
the north wind; fleet like the lightning; terrible 
like the heavy thunder. 

They loved the sun and the clear sweet air; and 
when at sunset they looked away towards the west, 
they thought of the wonderful tent where Wahkee- 


6 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN 



THE RED CHILDREN. 


7 


yan, the air god, dwelt. This tent, which had four 
great doors, one looking east, one west, one south, one 
north, was guarded by four sentinels robed in scarlet. 

At the east gate there was a butterfly, of colors 
like the sunrise ; at the west was a bear ; at the south 
a fawn ; and at the north a fleet reindeer. 

Wonderful to the Red Children were the winds as 
they swept across the plains, moving the trees and 
the flowers to and fro, but never, no matter how 
closely the children watched, forgetting to keep 
themselves a mystery. 

There was Wa-bund, the East Wind, always young 
and beautiful. He it was that brought the morning, 
and with his silver arrows chased the darkness down 
the valley. He it was that painted the clouds, and 
called the deer and the hunter from their sleep. 

There was the West Wind, Ka-be-yun, the strong, 
soft wind that ever and forever, over all the winds 
of heaven, held supremest power. It was he that could 
drive away the clouds — the heavy water-laden clouds 
of the south, or the cold, cruel clouds of the north; 
and at his call the sun shone forth, the moon and the 
stars, and the blue sky smiled down upon the earth. 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


There was the South Wind, dreamy and drowsy, 
who had his dwelling far to southward, where sum- 
mer never ended, and where the robins, the bluebirds, 
and the swallows dwelt. When, amid his fields of 
fruit and melons, and his vines heavy with the purple 
clusters, he sat at sunset and smoked his pipe of 
peace, then the smoke rolled northward; it filled the 
air with haze and vapor; it touched the rugged moun- 
tains with smoothness, and brought the golden Indian 
summer. 

And there was the North Wind, Ka-bib-nok-ka, 
who came forth from his lodge of snowdrifts, from his 
home among the icebergs. His hair, sprinkled with 
snow, floated behind him like a river. The little 
brooks were still, and the fishes fled for shelter when 
the breath of Kabibonokka fell upon them. He loved 
to send the snowflakes flying, sifting, hissing through 
the forest; to freeze the ponds, the lakes, the rivers; 
to drive the loon and the seagull southward; and 
to chase the cormorant and the curlew to their nests 
among the rushes — this cruel, fitful Kabibnokka. 

Thus the four winds were divided. And happy 
were the little Red Children, when, curled up snugly 


THE RED CHILDREN. 


9 


in their blankets, close beside the wigwam fire, they 
listened to the chiefs as they told the stories of 
them and of their dwelling-places in the corners of 
the heavens. 

But these were not the only stories; for the little 
Red Children were story-lovers, as were also their 
fathers and mothers. 

Every tribe had its story-teller who went from 
wigwam to wigwam; and when the days were short 
and the nights long he would sit before the fire and 
tell most wonderful stories of the moon, the stars, 
the trees, the flowers, and even of the white rabbits, 
the foxes, the waterfowl, and the tiny, timid birds. 

All these, the little Red Children listened to and 
learned. They told them to one another, the larger 
children to the smaller; and by-and-by, when they 
were tall, strong warriors, they told them to their 
own little children. These in turn told them to their 
children; and those again in turn to theirs, till by- 
and-by some wise men who loved the Red Children 
and saw the sweetness of their simple stories, gathered 
them together and told them in a book, so that you 
and I might read these legends of the Red Children. 


SHINGEBISS. 



over, and where the mountains glisten white in the 
sunlight, dwelt the North Wind. 

Beside a solitary lake, though the winter was bitter 
and cold, and the ice was thick upon the water, 
dwelt Shing-e-biss, the Wild Duck. 

It was a poor, little hut, the house in which 

10 


SHINGEBISS. 


II 


Shingebiss lived and little wood had he to warm it 
with. There were only four logs; yet, these were 
large and each would burn a month. 

u Why should I want another log,” the cheery 
Shingebiss would say, u since there are but four cold 
months in the year ? ” 

Now Shingebiss was brave and fearless. No day 
was to him too cold; and let the North Wind rage as 
he would, he was never afraid to fly down to the lake 
for food. 

Sometimes the North AYind would freeze the water 
over and shriek, u Ha, ha, little Shingebiss, how now 
can you get your food ? ” 

Shingebiss would laugh and say, u I still can live.” 

Then he would walk out upon the ice, and with his 
strong bill pull out the rushes that grew up through 
the water, so as to make holes in the ice, through 
which he could catch the tiny fishes swimming be- 
neath. Often, even in the iciest weather, Shingebiss 
was seen hurrying homeward with strings of fish, 
even though the North Wind had tried his best to 
thwart him. 

“This is a very strange duck,” said the North 


12 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


Wind; “he cares not for snow or ice; for frost or 
biting blast. I will go to his home, and send my 
cold breath in upon him there.” 

But Shingebiss had cooked his fish and eaten a 
nice warm supper. The log was burning brightly, 
and he lay stretched out before it. 

Carefully the North Wind crept up to the door, and 
breathed in upon the little hut. 

“ I know who is there, thought Shingebiss; for he 
felt the cold upon his back. So he began to sing 
loudly and with cheer: 

“ Ka neej, ka neej ! 

Bee in, bee in; 

Bon in, bon in; 

Oc ee, oc ee; 

Ka weya! Ka weya!” 

This was his way of saying: 

“Windy god, I know your plan ! 

You are but my fellow man; 

Blow you may your fiercest breeze, 
Shingebiss you cannot freeze. 

Sweep the strongest wind you can, 
Shingebiss is still your man. 

Heigh for life! and ho for bliss! 

Who so free as Shingebiss!” 


SHINGEBISS. 


J 3 


“Well, well,” said the North Wind; “how dares 
this Shingebiss sing of me like this! Does he not 
know I can freeze him and nip him ? I will not be 
defied like this and so, creeping under the door, 
the North Wind pushed his way into the house of 
Shingebiss, and sat down before the fire. 

Shingebiss knew that he had entered, but he paid 
no heed. 

“ Ka neej ! Ka neej ! ” 
he kept on singing, loud and clear. 

“I wonder whether he knows I am here,” the North 
Wind thought to himself. “Does he not feel me ?” 

But the little duck went on singing, louder and 
louder, and at the same time stirring the great log 
until it cracked and snapped, and the roaring flames 
leaped up the chimney. 

“ Ka neej ! ka neej ! 

Bee in ! bee in ! ” 

“Well, well,” said the North Wind again; “Well, 
well!” 

“Ka neej, ka neej !” 

“I can never put down this fire! I am melting; 
but the Shingebiss is not freezing! I cannot breathe! 
Never before did I feel such heat.” 


i4 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


And indeed the North Wind was melting. His 
frosty hair was wet. The water dripped from his 
long white beard; the tears ran down his cheeks. 
Soon, with one faint shriek he fled out into the cold 
air again. 

“A strange little creature, that Shingebiss,” said 
he, as he flew towards his home in the north. “A 
strange little creature. I cannot freeze him, I can- 
not starve him. I do not understand.” 

And never again did the North Wind try; and 
that is why all winter long the Shingebiss is warm 
in his soft coat of long, thick feathers, and why, even 
when the ice is thick, he can always find his food in 
those places where the rushes grow. 


THE LEGENDS OF THE LIGHTNING. 


There was once a poor little Indian lad whose 
father, a great chief, had fallen in battle, and whose 
mother had been carried away by the enemy. 

“We will not take that little lad with us,” said 
the enemy, “for it might he that he would grow up 
and avenge the death of his father.” 

So when the village was burned and the corn- 
fields trampled down, the little lad was left alone with 
neither food nor shelter ; and the enemy went away, 
down the valley, carrying with them the little lad’s 
mother and all his sisters to serve as slaves in the 
homes of their captors. 

All day long the little lad wandered up and down 
among the burned wigwams, finding here and there 
a kernel of corn to keep him from starving; but 
when night came he was very tired and hungry and 
crept into the woods for shelter. 

Already the wolves had learned that the village 
had been burned, and that the people had gone away, 

15 


1 6 LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 

so down they came into the forest in search of food. 
They said, “there wull be no one now to watch for 
us and try to shoot us with their rapid arrows/’ 

Hardly had the boy laid himself down to sleep 
when, close beside his head, he heard the roars of 
bears and the hungry howls of wolves. 

He sprang to his feet, and tried to run; but the 
wolves were everywhere about him, and already he 
could see their flaming eyes. 

Now this little lad was brave and nimble; he could 
run like a deer and he could climb like a cat. So 
with a bound he sprang toward a tall, straight pine, 
seized it in his arms, and before even the swiftest 
wolf could overtake him, was far up among the tree’s 
protecting branches. 

Then the pine branches whispered softly to him, 
and bade him curl himself up among them and go 
to sleep. The trunk, so erect and strong, made a 
back for him to rest against, and the little pine tufts 
spread themselves over him to keep him warm, and 
the slender boughs held him securely in their arms. 

But in the night, a voice from out the sky spoke 
to him. It was the voice of a good manito, and it 


LEGENDS OF THE LIGHTNING. 


17 


said to the child: “I am sorry for you, little lad; 
and I am come to bear you away with me into the 
upper air. There you will never be hungry or cold, 
and no cruel wild beasts will seek to devour you 
when the night comes on.” 

Then the child felt himself lifted high above the 
forest trees. Away out over the country they sped, 
higher and higher, and towards the shining stars. 

O O' o 

Then there were put into the child’s hands, twelve 
silver arrows, and the good manito said, “Go, now, 
to the northern sky, where the cruel manitos dwell. 
With these arrows shoot down the chief est among 
them. Fling them over the edge of the earth into 
the great sea that surrounds us; then will the Red 
Children bless you. The good manitos, too, will be 
glad; for those in the northern sky often work evil 
to us as well.” 

So the child took the arrows and set out into the 
northern sky where the manitos dwelt ; and there 
he found them in great numbers, hurrying back and 
forth across the sky. 

Skillfully he bent the bow while he took most 
careful aim. 


1 8 LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 

One, two, three arrows he shot across the great 
snow fields. Four, five, six; still no manito had 
been brought low. Seven, eight, nine ; it was very 
strange. Ten, eleven — only one arrow now was left; 
for like a flash of lightning, the manitos, sharp of 
eye and quick, when they saw the arrows coming, 
sprang high in the air above them, or sank beneath 
the mysterious sky line which man, though he should 
travel day and night, could never reach. 

Now one more, the last arrow, the child raised in 
air. With care he poised it, and with skill he drew 
the cord. Straight at the heart of the chiefest of the 
manitos he sent it; but alas, hardly had it sped half 
its way across the snow fields, when the manito, 
transforming himself into a mighty mountain, stood 
black and grim against the northern sky. 

Against the rocky mountain side the arrow struck, 
and fell shattered into the seething waters. 

u And now,” roared a voice from out the mountain, 
“ you have wasted all your arrows. Twelve of them 
have you shot out across the sky at the mighty man- 
itos. Bear now your punishment; for the anger of 
the manitos is upon you. In all the time to come, 


LEGENDS OF THE LIGHTNING, 


x 9 



“ YOU nAVE WASTED ALL YOUR ARROWS. 


20 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


you shall ever like your arrows, flash and gleam, and 
shoot across the skies. The people of the earth 
shall fear you, and you shall carry destruction wher- 
ever you go.” 

Then came a crash of thunder. The child was lifted 
high among the clouds. The north wind howled, and 
hurled him across the sky, leaving along his track 
a trail of blazing fire. 

“It is the lone lightning,” the Red Children say 
when they see the fire among the clouds; “the blue 
lightning, into which once a little lad was changed 
by the cruel manitos of the northern sky.” 


A LEGEND OF THE SOUTH WIND. 


The lazy, soft-eyed South Wind lay upon his 
downy couch of cloud mist, and looked away to the 
distant north. 

He sang softly to himself as he swung to and fro, 
and wondered w T hat there might be of joy and beauty 
away off toward the northern sky. 

And as he looked, he saw a great field; and among 
its waving grasses were bright yellow flowers, shin- 
ing like bits of gold. 

“ They are like my own soft yellow light,” thought 
the South Wind; “the soft yellow light with which 
I mellow fields, and hills, and valleys, and dales, when 
the Indian summer broods over the earth. But I 
wonder, wonder what the little yellow flower is, 
whence it came and whither it will go.” 

But the South Wind was indolent; he wondered 
and he dreamed, but never once did he rise from his 
soft cloud-mist couch. 

One morning he looked again toward the north, and 
21 


22 


A LEGEND OF THE SOUTH WIND, 



THE LAZY, SOFT-EYED SOUTH WIND LAY UPON HIS DOWNY COUCH OF 


95 


CLOUD MIST. 



A LEGEND OF THE SOUTH WIND. 


23 


lo, a great change had come upon the field of golden 
flowers. 

The rich yellow had disappeared ; and in place of 
the golden crowns each flower shone fleecy white, 
among the waving grasses. 

“Alas, alas,” the South Wind sighed; “my 
brother, the North Wind, has wrought this change. 
He has touched the heads of these golden flowers 
with his icy breath.” 

“ Why need he blight the summer fields ; why 
need he rob them of their beauty ?” 

And as the South Wind sighed, there was a flutter 
among the flowers and grasses in all the sunny fields ; 
their heads waved to and fro, and the grasses 
whispered softly to one another. 

Then, even while the South Wind looked, be- 
hold the little shining white crowns disappeared. It 
was a strange change. The South Wind could not 
understand, but the air for miles and miles around 
was filled with tiny, white-winged filaments ; and 
they flew hither and thither, rising and falling with 
the wind, and frolicking only the faster when the sad 
South Wind sighed. 


24 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


“The dandelion seeds are looking for a place to 
sleep through” the winter, said the little Red Chil- 
dren. “See how the South Wind helps them.” 

But the South Wind said, “What do the children 
mean? It is very strange.” 


THE STAR BEAUTIFUL. 


There was once a little Red Child who loved the 
stars more even than he loved his little brothers and 
sisters. 

Every night when the sun began to sink in the 
west, the boy would creep away by himself up the 
hillside to watch for the coming of the stars. 

And one there was that seemed to him brighter 
and more beautiful than all the others. 

“It is my own Star Beautiful! ” he would say; and 
when it shot out its first ray of light to him each 
night, he would raise his hands toward it and cry, 
“ Welcome, welcome, my Star Beautiful !”‘ 

And when, sometimes, the star could not shine out 
because of the heavy clouds that lay between it 
and the Red Child, the boy would look toward the 
place where he had seen it last and say: “Star Beau- 
tiful, you are there, I know, although I cannot see 
you. I will go and call to the West Wind to drive 
the clouds away, that I may see you again.” And 

25 


26 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


the West Wind, loving the little Red Child, always 
answered the prayer ; for sometimes the clouds would 
break, even that very evening, and the star would 
shine down through the mist to its little friend. 

By and by the boy grew to be a brave, strong war- 
rior ; no one in all his tribe was more daring than 
he. Still better than war did the young man love 
hunting and fishing. 

Nothing was so dear to him as the fields with their 
star-like flowers, and the forests through which his 
Star Beautiful danced and twinkled among the 
branches. 

No hunter in any village was so skillful with his 
bow as this young hunter ; for steady was his aim 
and clear his eye. Then, too, when he drew his 
bow, he never forgot to say, “Star Beautiful, it is 
you who gives me skill. My good Star Beautiful.” 
For many and many a time, now that the little Red 
Child had become a man, did the star come to him, 
and whisper words of wisdom into his heart. 

It was the star who directed him to the forests 
where game was plentiful, and to the streams where 
fish were abundant ; and never did he return to his 


THE STAR BEAUTIFUL. 


27 


village without being laden with both shining fish 
and tender venison. 

“ The mighty hunter,” his people called him ; 
“who never fails, and whom the fish and deer seek 
rather than flee away from in the chase.” 



“It is my Star Beautiful that gives me help and 
makes me skillful,” the young man would say. 

Years rolled on and on. The hunter became an old 
man. All his people loved him ; and when he could 
no longer fight nor hunt, they often came to him, 


28 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


as he sat alone in his wigwam, to ask him what was 
wisest and best to do ; and never did his advice prove 
false ; for he still said, u It is my Star Beautiful that 
guides me.” 

And when after a long time the old man came to 
die, he said, U I go now to my star — the Star Beauti- 
ful ; for the star has waited all my life for me to 
come ; even since I was a little child and climbed 
up the hillside to catch its first ray of light.” 


THE LEGEND OF THE MORNING STAR 


Far away to the North where the great river had 
its source, dwelt the little brother and sister manitos. 

All their lives they had run and played to- 
gether, up and down the river banks, gathering 
the bright flowers and chasing the happy insects. 
But now the time had come when the children’s good 
manito came to them and said: 

“ Go, little sister, to the place of the Breaking 
Light ; for there amid the morning clouds shall be 
your home. There a beautiful palace awaits you, 
and it is made of sparkling rays of light. The 
clouds hang over it, soft and shining ; the warm sun 
lights it, and everywhere is song and beauty. 

“And you, little brother, go to the forests, the 
mountains, and the plains. There, in the mountain 
already cut for you from out the strong gray rock, is 
a fortress brave. There you shall dwell; and at 
your call the trees shall speak, the vines shall bear 
their fruit, and beauty shall reign everywhere.” 

29 


30 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


Then the little children looked into each other’s 
eyes and said, “Our river is very beautiful; it, too, 
sparkles and shines, and there is joy and beauty 
everywhere. But it is the great manito's wish that 
we go away — one to the place of the Breaking Light, 
the other to the mountain where the echo dwells.” 

“But, my brother,” said the sister, “when the pale 
gray light begins to spread itself over the sky, look 
out from your rocky home in the mountain, and turn 
your eyes toward the far-off east. There you will 
see me, your sister, shining out from the gray, and 
looking across the plains to where you, my brother, 
dwell. And when the clouds begin to change and 
their colors deepen into red and orange and purple, 
know that it is my hand that makes the beauty ; for 
it is with these cloud mists, and the rays of soft 
light that I will adorn my palace in the place of the 
Breaking Light.” 

Then the brother said: “Dear sister, on the top- 
most cliffs will I dwell that I may catch the first ray 
of light that comes from your bright home among 
the morning clouds; and at every break of day will I 
lift my eyes to greet the coming of the red and pur- 


THE LEGEND OF THE MORNING STAR, 


31 



“ THERE YOU WILL SEE YOUR SISTER SHINING OUT FROM THE GREY, 


5 } 



32 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


pie. And when each morning I see the glory in the 
east, I will say, ‘It is my sister, and it is she who 
spreads this beauty across the sky.’ I will watch 
till the sun comes and your light fades away; and 
then I will know that you have gone into your beau- 
tiful palace, and that when the sun is gone you will 
come forth again and will greet your brother.” 

Then there came a great burst of sound ; the four 
winds were abroad and they swept down the river 
banks and carried away the brother and sister. They 
wafted the sister to the place of the Breaking Light, 
and she became the Morning Star ; and they carried 
the brother to the mountain top, where he should 
dwell forever. Often his voice was heard through 
the forest and among the tall grasses ; but never did 
he leave his high cliffs where, when the morning 
came, he could watch the red clouds with which his 
sister made beautiful the eastern sky and her own 
cloud palace among the stars. 


WILL-O’ THE-WISP. 


There was strange commotion among the stars, and 
one, losing its way in the mist and maze of clouds, 
wandered down towards the home of the Red Chil- 
dren. 

Down, down, through the air it hurried, shooting 
like lightning across the sky. 

a It is an evil spirit said the people. “It is a 
wicked manito ! ” And they fled from it and hid 
themselves in great caves. 

Up and down the earth for many years it wan- 
dered, seeking rest. Often it looked up toward the 
place from which it had fallen, and saw its sister 
stars shining in the deep blue above. 

But never again could it return to its sister stars, 
or climb back to its old home in the sky. 

Lonely and sad at heart, the star wandered from 
tribe to tribe among the people. 

“ I am lonely here,” the star would say. But the 
people did not understand, and fled from it to hide 
beneath the shelter of their wigwams, 

33 


34 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


Sometimes the star would wander up and down 
the valleys ; sometimes it would hang above the tiny 
lakes of water; sometimes it would stand outside 
the camp fires where the people lay asleep. 

But no man would speak one word of cheer, one 
word of welcome ; and the beautiful star was deso- 
late. 

At last there came to dwell among the people a 
little maiden with large brown eyes that looked far 
away into the distance ; and in them was a light that 
no man understood. Wonderful dreams came to the 
maiden, and visions more wonderful than she could 
tell. 

And when this little maiden saw the star she 
reached her hands out towards it, and said “My 
beautiful shining star !” 

Then the star danced for joy, glad that at last a 
soul was born that knew that it was lonely. And it 
came toward the child, growing brighter and brighter, 
and dancing higher and higher. 

u It is strange,” the people said ; and they named 
the child Wandering Star. Now the star and the 
child loved each other, and never again was there 


WILL-0’ THE-WISP. 


35 



“THEN A GEE AT GUST OF WIND CAUGHT UP THE SINKING MAIDEN AND CAE- 

EIED HEE AWAY.” 


3 ^ 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


loneliness in the heart of either. Every night when 
the child looked out from her wigwam, she saw the 
star and whispered loving words to it; and the star 
watched over the maiden while she slept. 

But one day the child wandered out into the world ; 
across the fields, up the valley, down into the treach- 
erous morasses she wandered. Then darkness fell ; 
the clouds shut out the light of the moon, and the 
frightened child sank in the green slime. 

Then a great wind arose. The clouds hurried and 
scurried across the sky ; the lightning flashed ; the 
thunder rolled ; a great gust of wind swept down 
the valley, caught up the sinking maiden and carried 
her away, no man knew where. 

All summer long the people searched for the child; 
but no one could guide them to her. The trees 
sobbed and the bulrushes sighed as the winds swept 
by ; but they could not help the people who searched 
the hills and dales. 

Then the Wandering Star descended into the 
marshy place where the maiden had last been seen. 
Close down among the sedges it made its home, and 
there it brooded sadly over the little child. 


WILL-O* THE-WISP. 


37 


Never again was it seen on the hilltops, or among 
the camp fires; and no longer did it wander up and 
down the valleys. But every summer, when the 
hunters went forth to hunt, they found the faith- 
ful star, still shining, still brooding over the place 
where last the child had stood — the child who 
had loved the star, and had stretched its hands out 
toward it, and had called it “My beautiful shining 
star.” 


THE AURORA, THE WHITE ARCH, AND 
THE GREAT BEAR. 


When the days are short and the nights are long ; 
when the sun creeps southward and for six long 
moons hovers over the land where the South Wind 
dwells ; when the air is cold and the sun lies glisten- 
ing on the ground, then the little Red Children look 
up into the sky and see the great arch of white 
stretching across the blue heavens. 

And in the North the red flames leap flashing like 
fires across the sky. 

“These red flames,” the old chiefs say, “are the 
spirits of brave warriors who have long since gone 
to the happy hunting grounds. 

“Their arrows and their bows they carry with 
them. The souls, too, of their dogs have joined 
their masters in this land beyond the setting sun. 

“ There game is plenty ; and all day long the war- 
rior hunts and carries war into the homes of the foe. 
Ever successful in war is he ; and on winter nights 
he dances the war dance ; he chants and shouts ; he 

38 


THE AURORA, THE WHITE ARCH, AND THE GREAT BEAR. 39 

waves his war club. It is his plumes of red and 
white that we see, waving and flashing in the north- 
ern sky. 

“And the white arch? That is the pathway of the 
spirits. Up and down this pathway, from earth to 
heaven, they pass. There are more of them than 
man can count ; and their shadows make the line 
of white which every night we see stretching like a 
mist across the sky.” 

Then there is the moon swinging high in the 
heavens. A strange moon it is to the Red Children ; 
for never is it the same. Some times they see it 
a great beautiful ball of white ; then again, as it 
lifts its face above the eastern hills, it is rich and 
golden, like the warm color of the autumn flowers. 

But strangest of all, it changes its shape from 
disk to crescent and from crescent to disk. Each 
night as it rises, the Red Children see that the disk 
grows smaller, till by ai?d by they see no disk at all. 
Then again it comes, a tiny crescent in the west, but 
growing each- night larger and larger. 

“ It is very strange,” the Red Children used to say, 
and they wondered and wondered. 


40 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN 



FOR TO THE DRAGONS TIIE MOON IS SWEET.” 





THE AURORA, THE WHITE ARCH, AND THE GREAT BEAR. 4 1 

But one night a wise chief had a dream; and in 
the dream a voice said, “Wonder no more why the 
moon thus changes shape ; for know now, and tell the 
people, that they too may know, that it is because 
of the great dragons that dwell in the four corners 
of the earth. Out from their homes they come ; and 
it is upon the moon they feed, even as worms feed 
upon the leaves of the trees. 

“For to the dragons, the moon is sweet ; it gives 
them strength and long life ; it makes their scales to 
shine and glitter even as the moonlight glitters upon 
the Big Sea Water. 

“But the moon still grows, on and on. Though 
there were dragons dwelling in the sun and upon 
every star ; and though they should come one and 
all to feed upon the great disk of silver light, still 
would it never fail. 

“For the moon is in the keeping of the Great 
Spirit, and it is set in the heavens to light the Red 
Children on their way through the forests at night. 
It is to give them time as well ; for the Red children 
may watch its coming and its going; then when they 
count their days, they shall say, l ten moons ago,’ or 


42 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


1 ten moons to come for in this way each Red Man 
shall know the time that another has in mind.” 

The stars, too, of the heavens are wonderful to the 
Red Children; for among them they see birds and 
animals and trees. 

In the North is one group of stars which to them 
looks like a great bear. 

And that it is a great bear, they are quite sure ; 
for long long ago a great chief who knew all things 
told them this story: 



“ Once when the Red Men were out upon a chase, 
a great white bear sprang out from the forests; and 
had they not driven their arrows at him, he would 
have slain them all, so large was he and fierce. 


THE AURORA, THE WHITE ARCH, AND THE GREAT BEAR. 43 

“ But when he saw the arrows, he turned and fled. 
The Red Men followed. For two whole moons they 
followed, resting neither day nor night. But how- 
ever fast they sped, the great white bear sped still 
faster. 

“On, on they flew towards the icy north where the 
white bear lived. But a great giant came now upon 
them, and a terrible battle followed. The Red Men 
fought like warriors brave ; till ail but three fell 
beneath the giant’s strength. 

“ Then these three cried to the manitos to save 
them. The manitos heard their cry ; and they 
gathered them up in their strong arms — the three 
warriors and the bear with them — and placed them 
in the northern sky. 

“There they dwell even to this day; and you may 
see them every night the whole year long, the three 
brave warriors still following close upon the path of 
the great white bear.” 

And these simple-hearted Red Children love the 
skies ; they love the rain and the snows, the thunder 
and the lightning, the warm sun and the soft light 
of the moon. For all these bring comfort to the 


44 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


earth and to the people. And they pray to the man- 
itos of all these good powers, and they sing songs to 
them, beautiful and wild and free. 

0 white floating Clouds ! clouds like the plains, 
come and water the earth! 0 Sun, smile down upon 
the earth and bring forth the corn, the grasses and 
the flowers ! 

0 Moon, 0 Lion of the north, Bear of the west, 
Badger of the south, and Wolf of the east ! Elder 
war-hero, younger war-hero, warriors of the six 
mountains of the world, intercede with the cloud 
people for us that they may water the earth. Medi- 
cine-bowl, cloud-bowl, and water-vase, give us your 
hearts that the earth may be watered. White Shell 
Bead Woman who dwells where the sun goes down ; 
Mother Whirlwind, Father Sus-sis-tin-naks, Mother 
Ya-ya, creator of good thoughts, Yellow Woman of 
the North, Blue Woman of the West, Red Woman 
of the South, White Woman of the East, hear us, 
hear us, and intercede for us with the cloud people ! 


THE RAINBOW. 


When the good Great Spirit had made the world 
and had put into it everything that man could need ; 
had made the animals to serve him and had bidden 
the trees and vines to bear fruits for food, then he 
said : u Now will I make flowers for all these grow- 
ing plants ; and the flowers shall be rich and beau- 
tiful in color. 

u The Red Children shall love these bright-colored 
flowers, for they shall give a glory unto the fields 
and the hill-sides. 7 ’ 

So the Great Spirit covered the fields with purple 
asters and goldenrod ; with dandelions and daisies. 
By the river-side and in the cool forests were the 
sweet violets, the anemones, and the columbines; and 
even the bare rocks he covered with the fluffy saxi- 
frage and the white blossoms of the raspberry and 
the blackberry vine. 

All the long, beautiful summer these flowers made 
the air sweet with their perfume, and the Red Child- 

45 


46 LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 

ren were content. When Autumn came, new flowers 
came ; great, gorgeous flowers of red and orange, so 
that the fields were a great blaze of glory. 

Nor was this all; the very trees themselves changed 
their sober green to colors that were more gorgeous 
even than the flowers of the field. 

The Red Children gazed in awe and wonder at 
the beauty spread out before them. They thanked 
the good Great Spirit, and when the harvest moon 
had come, they held a feast to show their gratitude. 

But one morning a change came over this beauty. 
The North Wind breathed upon the flowers and the 
trees, and they drooped and faded. 

u O Great Spirit,’’ the Red Children cried, “behold 
what the North Wind’s breath has done to the fields 
and the forest/’ 

Then the South Wind came again ; the air was 
filled with a hazy, yellow light ; the flowers still hung 
their heads ; but there was a tender warmth in the 
air, and the Great Spirit said, “This is the Red Child- 
ren’s summer.” 

Then a heavy shower of rain fell upon the earth ; 
the clouds and the sun struggled together ; the strong 


THE RAINBOW 


47 



THERE, STRETCHING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH, SWEPT A GKEAT ARCH.” 


48 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


South Wind blew, and the leaves fell from the trees ; 
then the wind and the rain gave way ; the sun shone 
out ; and, to the leaves and the flowers, what a won- 
derful change had come! For when the Great Spirit 
saw them fading and falling he said, “They are too 
beautiful to be lost.” 

And when the Red Children grieved to see them 
fade, he said, “You shall not lose them; for I will 
gather them together ; the bright green of the grasses, 
the red and orange of the leaves, the purple, the 
pink, the blue and the yellow of all the flowers, and 
I will set them in the sky.” 

Then the Red Children looked towards the east ; 
and there, stretching from north to south, swept a 
great arch ; and in it were the bright green of the 
grasses, the red and the orange of the leaves, and 
the purple, the pink, the blue, and the yellow of all 
the flowers, even as the Great Spirit had said ! 

And now when the Red Children look up and see 
the bow of many colors stretching its beautiful 
length across the sky, the old chief tells them this 
story of so long ago. He bids them love the beauty 
of the arch ; and he bids them thank the Great Spirit 


THE RAINBOW. 


49 


who gathered the colors together that they might not 
be lost. “For,” he says, 

“ 1 Tis the heaven of flowers you see there ; 

All the wild flowers of the forest, 

All the lilies of the prairie, 

When on earth they fade and perish, 

Blossom in that heaven above us, 

Make the heaven of flowers you see there.” 


THE RAIN AND THE SNOW. 


u 0 Mu-in-wa, Muninwa!” the flowers and the 
grasses cried, “give us water, lest we die!” 

And good Muinwa looking down upon the earth, 
saw the flowers drooping their heads ; the grasses 
were turning brown, and even the leaves of the trees 
hung lifeless. 

“Big Sea Water,” cried Muinwa, “send up your 
waters upon the dry earth, and save the flowers and 
the trees and the grasses.” 

And the Big Sea Water tried ; but it could only 
send its waters a little way up, when back it poured, 
and the trees and the flowers had no help. 

Then Muinwa cried to the rivers, “ Send up your 
waters upon the dry earth, and save the flowers and 
the trees and the grasses.” 

And the rivers tried ; they seethed and foamed and 
overflowed their banks ; but soon the waters sank 
again, and only the grasses near the banks had lifted 
their heads. 


50 


THE RAIN AND THE SNOW. 


5 1 


Then Muinwa cried to the lakes, “ 0 Lakes, send 
up your waters upon the dry earth, and save the 
flowers, the trees, and the grasses.” 

And the lakes tried ; they too seethed and foamed. 
The waters splashed and broke upon the shores like 



waves of the Big Sea Water; the winds rose, and 
the mist was blown out across the fields, but it was 
only for a little way ; then the waters sank back, and 
the trees, the flowers, and the grasses were left 
parched and dry again. 

“Let us try/ 7 said the wild sea-gulls. So they 
dipped their wings in the Big Sea Water, and 
flew out over the fields, scattering the waterdrops 
upon the flowers and the cornfields ; but it was very 
little they could do over the great, wide earth. 


52 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


But Muinwa said, u You have taught me a way to 
save the flowers and the trees and the grasses, 0 
good sea-gulls ! I will gather feathers from all the 
birds of the land ; and I will make a great wing that 
shall stretch from sea to sea and from sky to sky. 

u This will I dip in the waters of the lakes, and 
shake them down upon the earth as you have shaken 
your wings across the cornfields.” 

So Muinwa called together all the birds from all 
the forests. “ Give me of your feathers, 0 birds both 
great and small/’ he said, “that I may make a great 
wing with which to sprinkle the earth and save the 
flowers and trees and grasses. So may they live on 
forever, and send forth each year new beauty on the 
earth.” 

Then all the birds sang, and the skies rang with 
their glad songs ; for the birds loved the summer that 
brings the flowers and the trees and the grasses, and 
were glad to help the good Muinwa. 

So it was, Muinwa made the great wing that holds 
the waters ; and when the flowers droop, he waves it 
across the land, and the raindrops fall upon the 
thirsty flowers and trees and grasses. 


THE PINE TREES. 


On the shores of a beautiful lake stand three tall 
pine trees. 



THE TALLEST CHIEF 
IN ALL THE EARTH. 


greater power. 


All the day long and all the night 
long their branches wave and whis- 
per and sigh, each to the other. And 
sometimes in the stillness of the deep 
night, the Red Children say, these 
trees have been known to sob; and 
when the winds are strong, moans, 
are heard, mingled with the rushing 
of the winds. 

For there are spirits in these trees 
— the spirits of three chiefs, who, long, 
long ago, ruled over their tribes and 
carried on war with one another 
Now these three chiefs, though each 
in his own way was strong and power- 
ful, longed for greater strength and 
Each longed to surpass the others. 

53 


54 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


So together the three went to the home of Gloos- 
kap the manito. 

u O Gloo-skap,” said the first of the three chiefs, 
“ make me tall. Make me the tallest chief in all the 
earth. Then I shall have power over all Red Men, 
and they shall admire and fear me.” 

Glooskap looked down at the chief and smiled a 
scornful smile. Already the chief had made thick 
soles for his moccasins and had filled them with fur 
and the bark of the trees. 

Besides this, he had pulled his long hair high 
above his head, and had built it up with sticks and 
feathers to make himself seem tall. 

“You shall have your wish,” said Glooskap. 

Then the second chief spoke. u Let me,” said he, 
“live, forever upon this earth.” 

“It shall be as you wish,” Glooskap answered. 

Then the third chief said, “Not forever would I 
live but let me live to an exceeding old age ; and 
give me perfect health with which to enjoy my long 
life.” 

“Foolish ones,” said Glooskap, “know you not 
that a brave death and a return to the happy hunt- 


THE PINE TREES. 


55 


ing grounds is better than long life upon this earth ? 
Still, you shall have your wishes — all of you.” 

Then Glooskap raised his hand ; and, behold, the 
three chiefs were changed in a twinkling. 

One, to a tall pine tree — the tallest on the lake 
shore — with a tassel waving proudly over him. 

The other two were changed to pine trees also ; for 
thus the one could live on forever, and the other could 
have his perfect health with which to enjoy his long life. 

And so the three trees still stand upon the lake, 
and the long years roll by ; the one taller than all 
the rest — the other two sturdy and strong, looking 
down for centuries upon the tribes that come and go. 

And are they happy ? Are they content ? No one 
can tell ; for they speak not, though they sigh all day 
long, and even groan when the storms beat upon them. 

It would seem almost as if their hearts were sad, 
and that they had learned that their own simple, 
natural life would have been best. Still, the Red 
Children cannot tell. 

It may be that what we call sighs and groans are 
but the language of the trees — the way in which 
they talk together. We do not know. 


THE LILY-STAR. 


Once the world was filled with happy people. 
Game was plenty in the forests, and nowhere was 
there drought or famine. People were well and 
strong and happy. All the tribes were at peace. 
The beasts of the field had no fear of man, nor had 
man any fear of them. 

The trees yielded richest fruit, and the bushes 
bent low beneath their loads of berries. And there 
was no cold, for the spring was everywhere ; and all 
the long year the flowers carpeted the earth, the 
birds, beautiful of plumage, flew from tree to tree, 
singing their wild, happy songs, and turning their 
bright plumage in the sunlight. 

And the simple-hearted people dwelt in the for- 
ests and on the sunny hillsides. They loved the 
great, warm sun, and at night they watched the 
bright stars shining down upon them ; for to these 
stars some time they would be carried by the good 
manitos who watch over the wigwams of the dying. 

But one night they saw a bright star fall. Down, 

56 


THE LILY-STAR 


57 



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AND THE CHILDREN CAME IN THEIR TINY CANOES. 


y > 


58 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


down, down, through the heavens it fell, till it came 
and stood at the foot of a great mountain. 

Then the people went forth to meet the star, 
and the star said : “ I have come, 0 good people, 
down to dwell with you ; for you are good and 
happy and your world is beautiful. Tell me, then, 
where I may make my dwelling place, that I may 
watch your wise men and your children at their 
play ; for I love you well, and I long to dwell among 
you.” 

Then one chief said, “Dwell here in this mountain, 
high up among the crags ; for there you can overlook 
the plain ; the clouds will stoop to kiss the mountain 
top, and each morning you may greet the rising sun.” 

“Dwell upon the sunny hillside,” said another; 
“for there the sun loves to linger, and the flowers 
are everywhere.” 

“Dwell in the forests,” said another; “for there 
the cool shadows lie, and the air is heavy with per- 
fume of the pine and spruce.” 

But the mountain tops are so far away! The star 
could not see the little children at their play ; and it 
loved the children best of all. The hillside, too, was 


THE LILY-STAR. 


59 


distant ; and the star felt lonely when the sun was 
gone. And the forest, to the star that loved the heat 
and warmth and light, seemed only dark and cold. 

But one day the star came and hung above the 
lake. The water was soft and warm ; it rippled and 
danced and sang. All day the sunlight sparkled on 
its surface, and at night the stars shone down upon 
it. Upon the banks of the lake the Red Children 
played, and the men pushed their canoes across it. 

“Here,” said the star, “will I dwell, for I love the 
Red Children, and the canoes are like the stars that 
shoot across the sky.” 

And so it was that when the sun had set, the star 
came down and alighted on the lake, and away down 
beneath the waters it sent its rays. The Red Child- 
ren say the rays took root, for when the morning 
came, there lay a beautiful water-lily upon the lake. 
Its petals were pure and white, its heart was golden 
like the star, and with its fragrance it called to the 
children. 

And the children came in their tiny canoes, for 
they loved the sweet lily better than all the flowers 
of the fields. 


LEGENDS OE THE WINDS. 


u Tell us,” the Red Children ask, u whence comes 
the Wind? See how it fans the fire and makes the 
trees to bend ! How it sways the grasses and the 
grains ! Even the clouds and the waters of the 
great ocean obey its will. 

“ Still, no man has ever seen it ; nor can he ever, 
though he watch from the mountain tops till twelve 
moons go by ; and though he watch upon the great 
plains where he may see the heavens on every side.” 

Then the wise chief says, “Listen, little Red 
Children, and I will tell you the mystery of the 
Wind as it is known to us, and as it was told to our 
tribes many moons ago. For in those days, when 
the Great Spirit spoke with the Red Men here upon 
the earth, he bade us listen while he revealed to us 
the wonders of the heavens. 

“And of the Wind, the Great Spirit said: l Away 

in the North, where no man yet has ventured, nor 

will ever venture in all the moons to come, lest he 
60 


LEGENDS OF THE WINDS. 


6l 


perish ; away in the North, where the sky is cold and 
the clouds are black ; where the fields are covered 
with snow and ice that never melt ; where no corn 
grows, and the birds sing not ; there in that unknown 
land dwells the great Wind giant Kra-es-vel-gur. 
Upon a mountain peak he sits, clad in a robe of 
eagle feathers. 

“ \And so broad is his robe and so strong are the 
feathers that when he raises them the whole earth 
is put in motion. The whole earth and all that 
grows or dwells upon it ; for it is beneath these great 
wings that the wind sleeps ; and the great giant, sit- 
ting upon the edge of the heavens, looks down upon 
the waters and the fields and says which wind shall 
blow and when.’ ” 

u But the rain and the snow, 0 chief ! Tell us, do 
they, too, dwell in the North ? ” 

“It is E-tok-ah — Etokah and We-ze-at-tah my 
children — who make the rain and the snow, the 
warmth and the cold. 

“For Etokah is the spirit of the South. He it is 
who holds in his great hand the warmth that brings 
the summer and makes the grains to grow. 


62 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


u He comes with a great rush of wind and rain. 
In his hand he bears a war club, and when he strikes 
the heavens, lo ! the lightnings flash and terrible 
thunders roll. 

“With him come the crow and the plover; for 
each rests upon a shoulder of the giant when he 
stalks forth upon the land. 

“More terrible is Wezeattah, the spirit of the cold. 
He drives before him the chill blast of the North, 
and scatters the snowflakes over sea and land. 
With him comes the howling wolf, wdiose teeth shine 
and whose eyes glitter like the sun. Armed, too, is 
Wezeattah, for he brings war against Etokah and 
strives to drive him from the earth. 

“These spirits — the strong Etokah and the fierce 
Wezeattah — come forth from the corners of the 
heavens ; and when they meet, then the clouds fly 
like weak warriors before a mighty foe. The great 
drops of rain pour their floods down the mountain 
side ; or the flying snow fills the air and covers the 
plains and rivers. The thunders roll, the lightnings 
flash across the sky, smiting the great trees and 
blackening the growing roots. Or, the north wind 


LEGENDS OF THE WINDS. 


6 3 



WEZEATTAH BRINGS WAR AGAINST ETOKAH. 




6 4 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


shrieks and howls, and, rushing like an evil manito 
across the plains, enters the forest and snaps the tall 
tree-trunks and throws them across the trail. 

u So these two battle against each other ; and 
when they cease, then the skies grow blue again and 
the sun shines down upon the earth. 

u Then Aminiki the storm god calls them to him. 
His wings are black, and when he spreads them over 
the skies, the sun itself is hidden and the stars shine 
not. And to Etokah and Wezeattah he gives judg- 
ment, saying, 1 Go now, Etokah,’ or 1 Go now, Wezeat- 
tah, back to your home in the corner of the sky. 
Bravely you made battle ; but it is not for you to 
always win. For six moons now shall you keep 
within the great walls of your lodge. Come forth, 
then, again ; and again shall you battle, and to him 
that shall win shall be given the rivers and the lakes, 
the fields and the hillsides. 

“ l And if, Etokah, it is you that win, then shall you 
scatter your flowers up and down the land, and lift 
the ice that imprisons lake and river. 

“ ‘Likewise to you, Wezeattah, if you win, shall be 
given the land and the waters. You shall scatter 


LEGENDS OF THE WINDS. 


65 


the sparkling snow till no flowers nor grains nor 
grasses shall be seen from sky to sky. And the 
people shall build great fires and hide themselves 
within their wigwams, saying: It is Wezeattah that 
has come! AVezeattah, the ruler of the cold! 
AAezeattah, the strong, white god of the North !’ ” 


HOW THE SPRING COMES. 

Old Winter sat alone in his little hut beside a 
frozen river. All across the plain, and up the 
mountain side, the snow lay cold and still. The 
winds howled and shrieked, the flowers and grasses 
hid themselves in the soft earth, and even the great, 
warm sun crept away toward the southern sky. 

But one morning a gentle step was heard upon the 
snow; there was a soft perfume in the air. The 
Winter opened the door of his dismal hut, and said : 
u Ah, it is you, sweet Springtime. Welcome will 
your voice be in the ears of the Red Children. But 
come in, and let us talk together, for soon shall I go 
to my home in the northward ; to my home where all 
is still and cold and white ; to my home where the 
waters never sparkle, where the birds never sing, and 
where no flowers peep through the glittering ice.” 

“And from my home far away to the southward I 

have come just now,” said the sweet-voiced Spring. 

“No ice and snows are there, but in their place lie 

great fields of soft, green grass. The skies and the 
66 


HOW THE SPRING COMES. 


67 


waters are blue; and when the soft winds blow, the 
grasses and the flowers bend their heads to listen.” 

“Ah, but I have power,” said old Winter. “I 
have power like that of the manitos themselves ! 
For when I blow my breath, the streams stand still, 
the waters stiffen and grow hard, like stone.” 

“ I, too, have power,” answered the Spring. 
u Though I call not in a loud voice, though great 
trees bend not before me, yet when I breathe, the 
flowers and tender grasses spring up on plain and 
hillside” 

“I shake my long, white locks, and the cold snow 
covers the land, the leaves drop from the strongest 
trees, the birds fly far away to the homes of distant 
tribes, the animals wrap themselves in their warm 
covers and hide in deep caves ; even the earth itself 
grows hard, like rock, and hides from sight.” 

“I shake my golden ringlets, and sweet-smelling 
showers fall upon the earth ; the raindrops glisten 
on the grasses, and the hearts of the Red Children 
are glad ; the singing birds come back and fill the 
forests with their songs, the little brooks begin to 
dance, and the whole earth sings for joy.” 


68 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


But now the sun — far down in the southern sky 
— had heard the soft voice of Spring and had crept 
near to listen. Its warm rays fell straight upon old 



Winter’s hut. A robin and a bluebird perched upon 
the roof. The river began to sparkle back its wel- 
come to the sun, and the whole hut was filled with 
the odor of pleasant herbs and flowers. 


HOW THE SPRING COMES. 


69 


Then old Winter’s voice grew still. Water dripped 
from his long, white hair ; a strange, gray color 
spread over his cold, white face ; smaller and smaller, 
shorter and shorter grew his form, and weaker and 
weaker the power of the old man’s arm, till, when 
the sun had sunk behind the purple clouds of 
the west, no sign of him was left ; but upon the 
ground where he had sat had sprung the beautiful 
pink claytonia — that sweetest, tenderest child of 
Spring. 


HOW THE SUMMEE CAME. 


Once, long, long ago, there was no summer in the 
land of the Ked Children, and they had no food but 
the flesh of the animals which they could slay. 

Then all the animals — the Otter, the Lynx, the 
Beaver, the Badger, and the Wolf — held a council. 
“We are never safe,” said they, “from the arrows of 
the Eed Men. Let us go to them and bid them pre- 
pare for war with us, unless indeed they will promise 
to harm us no more.” 

“But we must have food,” said the Eed Men, 
when the animals had come to them declaring war. 

“Is there no other food that man can eat ?” asked 
the sharp-eyed Lynx. 

“There are fruits and maize,” said the Eed Men; 
“but these grow not in a country where summer 
never comes. Bring down warmth for us from the 
heavens, and we will promise then to harm you no 
more.” 


70 


HOW THE SUMMER CAME. 


7 1 



72 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


“We will try,” said the Otter, and, stretching his 
mouth back to his ears so that all his teeth showed 
fiercely, he made a great leap up toward the blue 
sky. Up, up he flew, like a great bird ; but his 
flight was short, for down he came, head first, and 
struck upon a mountain peak. 

Then the Lynx, crouching low, made a leap such 
as even Lynx had never made before ; for he brushed 
the arch of the sky with the tips of his ears. 

Then the Badger tried and the Beaver, and to- 
gether they cracked the sky, so that when the Wolf’s 
leap came, his head burst through, and lie caught a 
glimpse of the beautiful world beyond. 

“Now,” said a brave chief of the Red Men, U I 
will climb up the walls of the skies and steal the 
warmth that we so need.” 

For three whole days and three whole nights the 
brave chief climbed, for he loved his tribe and 
longed to bring them warmth, and food, and comfort. 

And when he had entered the doorway which the 
wolf had made, lo ! there lay spread out before him 
a land of such beauty as he had never dreamed. 
The air was soft and sweet. Green grass stretched 


HOW THE SUMMER CAME. 


73 


as far as his eye could reach. There were flowers 
of colors brighter than the war-paint of greatest 
chiefs. 

And there were beautiful mocuks, in which were 
birds whose songs were sweetest music. One bird 
was there in each mocuk; for these birds were 
Spring, and Summer, and Autumn. And when the 
chief saw these, he opened wide their doors and 
cried : “Fly, fly, good birds ! and carry the seasons 
down to the Red Children below ; for they live their 
whole lives — they and their children after them — 
and never know of change on tree, or sky, or earth.” 

Then all the birds flew out. Straight toward the 
door they flew, but with such noise and confusion 
that the people in the sunny world awoke and ran to 
see what strange thing had happened to the birds. 
Already the gorgeous-feathered Autumn had flown 
down through. Spring, too, escaped, but left one 
feather in the grasp of the foremost of the breathless 
pursuers. 

“ Summer ! Summer ! ” they cried. “ Let not 
Summer go from us ! ” But Summer was speeding 
on close behind the trail of Spring. With one great 


74 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


leap, four of the dwellers in the land beyond the sky 
sprang forward and seized her by the wing. 

“ Hold ! hold ! ” they cried ; but Summer struggled 
with her great, strong beak and claws. Half way 
through the door was she, nor would she yield. 
With all their might the four held the bird, till at 
last the body parted. One-half only escaped to the 
earth below, for the other half was firm in the grasp 
of the angry men of the Land Beyond the Sky. 

“Now, who did this ?” they thundered, when they 
had placed the poor half bird within the cage again. 
Then they spied the chief of the Red Men, and with 
a cry like the North Wind, and with bolts of thunder 
and flashes of fire, they rushed upon him. Down 
through the doorway, on, on across the sky they 
flew. 

“How it lightens !” the Red Men down upon the 
earth cried ; and the animals crept, afraid, into the 
dark caves of the forests. 

Though the Red Man sped like a hare across the 
sky, the angry people of the upper world followed 
with a speed like the wind. All about him, above 
him, and below, the fiery arrows darted, till at last 


HOW THE SUMMER CAME. 


75 


one transfixed him. And to this day, there he lies, 
pinned to the sky ; and when the Red Children look 
up and see him there among the stars, they say : 
u See ! there is the brave chief who dared the people 
of the Land Beyond the Sky and gave the warm 
seasons to us ! ” 

And when the beautiful Summer’s stay is brief, 
they say : “ It is because we have only half ; the other 
half is still in the heavens above.” 


THE SUN A PRISONER. 


There was once a little lad whose name was 
Shooter-of-Birds. The little sister of Shooter-of- 
Birds was very proud of her brother’s name, for he 
had earned it when he was a baby, swinging in his 
hammock among the boughs of the trees. 

Now, from the first bird little Shooter-of-Birds had 
brought down with his arrow, he had made for 
himself a wonderful coat ; and most proud was he of 
its bright red breast and its soft, brown back. 

But one day little Shooter-of-Birds lay down upon 
a mountain top to rest. He was very tired, and he 
slept for hours and hours. When he awoke, there 
stood the great Sun, shining straight down upon him, 
hot and burning. Breathless, little Shooter-of-Birds 
sprang to his feet. The air was full of the odor of 
burning feathers ; and already his beautiful coat 
was dropping from his shoulders, singed and 
scorched. 


THE SUN A PRISONER. 


77 


u It is you that have done this, 0 Sun ! ” the boy 
shouted. But the Sun took no heed, and rolled on 
across the sky. 

“You shall never rise again!” cried little Shooter- 
of-Birds ; and he ran across the mountain side to his 
cave in the great rock. 

“ What can you do ? ” hooted the Owl all night. 
“You! you! you!” 

“Wait! wait! wait!” peeped the birds at sunset. 
But angry little Shooter-of-Birds would not wait. 

All night long he worked, for he was twisting a 
mighty cord with which to ensnare the Sun. Then, 
climbing high upon the eastern ridge of mountains, 
he spread his coil and watched the coming of the 
Sun. 

Slowly it crept up above the waters, but, blinded 
by its own glare, it saw not the Shooter-of-Birds, 
whose coil was spread across the skies. 

“A daring boy is this Shooter-of-Birds,” said the 
mischievous manitos; and they laughed to think 
what havoc it would make up and down the earth if 
the Sun should never rise again. “We will help the 
boy,” they said. So they held the coil, and lo ! the 


78 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


Sun entered the great circle and was indeed en- 
snared. 

“ Never again shall you scorch my coat of 
feathers ! ” cried little Shooter-of-Birds ; and he 
fastened the cord to a mountain peak and ran down 
into the valley. 

Hours like many days passed by, and the Sun 
came not. u It is very strange,” the people said. 

u Oh, give us back the sunlight !” the trees and the 
flowers and the grasses cried. But the sunlight did 
not come, and the trees and the flowers and the 
grasses withered and died. 

By and by coldness fell on all the earth, and the 
beasts of the fields and forests crept into dark caves, 
crouching close together for warmth. 

“ This must not be,” they said. u Let us go to 
the Sun and beg that he shall come again.” 

So together they all set out ; but no one of them, 
save perhaps the Owl and the Wildcat, could see in 
the darkness. Then, too, they were cold and starved, 
so that by and by the persevering Mole found him- 
self alone, and all his comrades gone back to their 


caves. 


THE SUN A PRISONER. 


79 


For as many hours as make a month, the Mole 
traveled on toward the place where the Sun had 
always risen. At last the Sun was found — the Sun 
and the coil that bound him to the peak. 

u Only cut away this cord of steel,” said the Sun, 
“ and gladly will I come and bring again the light 
and warmth.” 


“I will try,” said the Mole, “for indeed we need 
the light and warmth, and the world is sad without 
them.” 



8o 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


So the Mole crept nearer to the Sun, its heat 
growing always more and more intense. 

w Would that I could turn my head away, little 
Mole,” said the Sun; “but alas ! I cannot, and I fear 
you cannot come so near.” 

u I must try,” said the brave Mole ; but already its 
hair was singed and its little back was scorched. 
“The world needs the Sun! it must have it!” the 
little Mole said over and over to himself, and so kept 
his heart from losing courage. 

At last the strong coil was reached, and the Mole 
set to work upon it with its sharp, white teeth. For 
ten long hours it gnawed and gnawed ; and on the 
eleventh the cord snapped, and the happy Sun sprang 
up again into the heavens. 

Then the animals crept forth again from their 
caves, the trees grew green again, the grasses waved 
their heads, the flowers smiled, and all the earth 
was full of joy again. All but the little Mole! 
for he, alas ! blinded by the blazing Sun, could see 
none of the beauty that the light and warmth had 
brought 

He could feel the soft breezes, and he could 


THE SUN A PRISONER. 


smell the fragrant flowers ; but eyes he had none ; 
and so it is that from that time on the moles 
dwell forever in their darkness, paying the pen- 
alty of the foolish anger of the little Shooter-of- 
Birds. 


MONDAMIN, THE BED PLUME. 


Among the tribes of the Red Children, there lived 
a warrior so brave and kind that all his people 
loved him, even as they loved the good manitos 
that watch over the wigwams and the cornfields, to 
keep them from harm. 

Now, this brave, kind warrior could cure the sick 
and heal the wounded ; he could take upon himself 
the shape of birds and fishes, and fly through the air 
and swim through the water. 

But, most of all, even more than war, the warrior 
loved to wander up and down among the people of 
the tribe, bringing them health and happiness and 
gifts of good. 

One morning, as he walked through a dense 
forest, into which the sun could scarcely shine, he 
met a little Red Plumed man as brave as was he 
himself. 

“Good morrow,” said the little man. “You are 

strong ; but tell me, where does your strength lie ? ” 

82 


MONDAMIN, THE RED PLUME. 


83 



THEN THE BRAVE WARRIOR AND THE TINY RED PLUM E WRESTLED. 


8 4 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


“My strength,” answered the warrior, “is like the 
strength of any brave man.” 

“ Then let us wrestle ! ” said the strange little 
man, “for I, too, am strong. And whoever is able 
to throw the other, let him cry, Wa-ge-ne-wa! Wa- 
ge-ne-wa ! I have thrown you ! I have thrown 
you ! ” 

Then the brave warrior and the tiny Red Plume 
wrestled. For a whole day they wrestled, and more 
than once the warrior grew faint and weak ; but, as 
the sun went down, the wonderful strength of little 
Red Plume failed, and at last the warrior’s cry, 
“Wa-ge-ne-wa! Wa-ge-ne-wa!” rang through the 
forest. But, as the big brave stooped to help Red 
Plume to his feet again, lo ! a wonderful change 
had come upon him ! Arms and legs were gone, and 
his body had become like a full, ripe, red ear of corn. 
Indeed, but for the red plume still waving, the 
warrior would have believed the good manitos had 
taken him away. 

Then Red Plume spoke: “Again, brave warrior, 
you bring a great and goodly gift to your people. 
For I am Mondamin, the friend of the Red Children ; 


MONDAMIN, THE RED PLUME. 85 

and, because you conquer me, then you shall take 
me to your people. 

“ Strip from me, first of all, these covers that hide 
me from the wind and storm. Take then my rich, 
red kernels and scatter them up and down beside 
the river. Go then to your home, and, when one 
moon is passed, come back ; then shall be given you 
the Gift of Corn.” 

* * * * * 

And never do the brave warrior and his people 
forget the place where the Corn first grew. Never 
do they neglect the field where, through rain and 
sunshine, Mon-da-min lies. 

Each day they watch and wait beside it ; they 
drive the insects and the weeds and the hungry 
birds from it ; they spread the soft, green mold 
above it. And, when at length the tiny blade of 
green breaks through, they sing and dance about the 
field; they chant and send up thankful prayers to 
the Great Spirit for this rich gift, Mondamin. 

Then, when the Summer passes, and the golden 
Autumn comes ; when the corn stands tall and rich, 
and full of beauty, then, from out its shining robes 


86 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


and the long, soft, yellow tresses, conies the voice of 
the Corn calling to the people. Then the people 
gather in great numbers — all the tribes together — to 
the feast of good Mondamin — the friend of man — 
Mondamin. 


MOUNT TUTOKANULA. 


Away in the valley of the Yosemite is a great 
mountain whose sides are steep, even like the walls 
of a canon. At the foot of this mountain was once 
a lake, on whose banks two Red Children loved 
to play the whole day long. One evening, so tired 
were they, and home so far away, that they lay down 
upon a great rock and went to sleep. 

All night long they slept and all the next day ; 
then the next night and the next, till many moons 
had come and gone. But all the time they slept the 
rock was rising, rising, till, when they woke, behold, 
its summit reached far up among the clouds. There 
the two Children stood, stretching their arms out 
across the cliffs, and crying aloud for help. 

The Sun and the Moon only heard their cry ; and 
when again they had lain down upon the high 
mountain to sleep, the Moon whispered to the rain- 
drops in the clouds, and bade them go down and 
tell the people and the animals the story of the little 
Red Children upon the mountain. 

87 


88 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


And, when the animals heard the story, they assem- 
bled at the foot of the cliff to plan some way to 
rescue the Children. 

u They saved me from a fierce cat,” said the 
Mouse. “Let me, then, try to rescue them.” So the 
Mouse tried to leap up the mountain side. But alas ! 
it leaped only a hand-breadth, and then fell back. 

“ They freed me from a snare the Red Men had 
set among the corn,” said a Rat. And he, too, tried 
to rescue the Children, but could leap only two 
hand-breadths. 

“ They helped me once to climb a tree when the 
hunter’s dogs were close upon me,” said a Raccoon. 
But he could leap only a little higher than the Rat. 

Then the Bear tried, the Lion, and the Buffalo ; 
but all failed, even as the tiny Mouse had failed. 

“They saved, once, my life, too,” said a little 
Worm. “I lay across their trail, for I had wandered 
from my home in the tree, and had lost my way. I 
was very thirsty, and the earth seemed parched and 
dry. And these children — they trod not upon me 
with their moccasins, but raised me up and laid me on 
the rich, soft leaves. Therefore, will T rescue them.” 


MOUNT TUTOKANULA. 


89 



THERE THE LITTLE CHILDREN STOOD, 


9 o 


LEGENDS of the red children. 


So the little Worm crept up the mountain side. 
Close, close it clung; and, when one moon had 
passed, it had reached the top of the great cliff, and 
had guided the Children down safe paths into the 
valley below. 

And so the Children named the mountain Tutoka- 
nula; and it bears thus the name of the little Worm, 
even from that day to this. 


THE SHAIL AHD THE BEAVEB. 


Once there were no men, no women, and no little 
children upon the earth ; but everywhere there were 
birds and fishes, and in the forest there were animals 
of many kinds. 

On the banks of the Great Kiver lived a little 
Snail, whose brief life had been spent crawling up 
and down the banks and burrowing in the mud. But 
one day the Great Spirit looked down upon the Snail 
and said : “From that little creature I will make a 
tall, strong animal. He shall walk upon two feet, 
holding his head high. He shall speak a language 
never yet spoken, and I will call him Man.” 

Then the Great Spirit sent a mighty flood of water 
down the valley. The river overflowed its banks, 
and carried the little Snail to the high land, where 
it left it far away from its water home. 

Then the little Snail grew sleepy, and curled itself 
down among the strange grasses. Ho one can say 
how long it slept, for the little Snail itself could 
never tell; but, by and by, when it woke, all the 


* 


92 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 



SO THE MAN TOOK THE ARROW AND 


THE ROW. 



THE SNAIL AND THE BEAVER. 


93 


world seemed changed. Never before had the sky 
seemed so blue, nor had the sun seemed so near. 

Strange thoughts crept into the Snail’s little head. 
It grew afraid, and, turning itself earthward, it 
tried to hide itself within its shell. And lo ! it 
had no shell, but legs and arms, long and straight 
and strong ! 

Now the Snail quaked indeed with fear. It rose 
high upon its feet and looked around. In a lake near 
by, it saw itself and wondered what strange thing 
had happened. Then a kind voice — the voice of the 
Great Spirit — spoke from the air and said : 

“ Fear not, little Snail that you once were. You 
are now a Man, and you shall be able to rule over all 
things that live — the fishes, the birds, and all animals 
in field or forest. But first you must have food such 
as Man should eat. Take, then, these arrows and 
this bow. Place the arrow thus, aiming at yonder 
deer ; and, when he is slain, take from him his skin ; 
for, by and by, when the North Wind blows, you will 
need it for a covering. 

So the Man took the arrow and the bow, and did 
as the Great Spirit bade him. And, when this was 


94 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


done, then the Great Spirit taught him to strike fire 
from rock, and so to cook his food. 

After that the Great Spirit went away, and the Man 
wandered up and down the river banks alone. Out 
from a deep hole a Beaver crept, and to the strange, 
new creature sitting there he said, u Who are you ? ” 

And the strange, new creature said, “I am a Man, 
though not long since I was a Snail. But tell me, 
who are you ? ” 

u I am a Beaver. My home is beneath the banks, 
and my kingdom is the river. But we are brothers. 
Come, then, to my home, for you must need sleep and 
food.” 

Gladly the Man crept into the hole from whence 
the Beaver had come, and soon he found himself in 
a beautiful beaver village. There were houses made 
in the shape of cones, with a door through which to 
enter. And there were streets in this village, and 
every Beaver knew the home of every other. 

Then the Beaver called his wife and daughter, 
and they laid before their guest a feast of poplar 
leaves, willow, sassafras root, and elder bark. Little 
of this could the strange man eat, but there came 


THE SNAIL AND THE BEAVER. 


95 


into his heart a great loneliness. The Beaver had 
his home, and both wife and daughter to wait upon 
him, but the Man was all alone. 

u Truly, you could spare this daughter,” the Man 
said, “and let her come and dwell with me. You 
shall teach me to build a home like this, and she 
shall daily lay the feast before me.” 

Now, the Beaver’s daughter was kind, and she 
pitied the lonely Man ; so she said : u If my father 
wills it so, gladly will I go and make a home for 
you.” 

“You shall go,” said the Beaver. And the Man 
led her out from her home and wandered with her 
up the river bank, that they might have a place 
there to build for themselves another home. 

Night came, and they lay down beside the river to 
sleep. But, behold ! when the sun rose, the Beaver 
had disappeared, and in her place lay a beautiful 
Maiden. And when the Man awoke and saw her, 
then the Great Spirit whispered to them and said : 
“ Make, now, a wigwam for yourselves. Be brave, 
Man, and hunt and fish. And you, most beautiful 
Maiden, you shall cook the food, and, by and by, 


96 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


you shall learn to weave, and grind the corn which 
the Man shall plant ; for you are like no other 
creatures on this earth, but are high above them all.” 

So sprang the people from the Snail and the 
Beaver, for such is the legend of the Red Children ; 
and, because of their origin, they are wise and 
industrious, never idle, but busy always in the mak- 
ing of their homes and in the building of their 
villages. 


LEGEND OF THE OPEOHE. 


When the son of the Red Man has grown tall and 
strong and brave, then the father warrior calls him 
to him and says : 

“My son, my brave son, the time has come when 
you must go forth into the wilderness and fast. 
Behold the mat which your mother has woven for you 
to rest upon. Take it, therefore, and prove to your 
tribe that you are to be a brave, strong warrior, able 
to endure.” 

Then the youth goes forth into the dense forest, 
and stretches himself, face downward, upon the mat, 
moving not and tasting neither food nor drink. 

If he endures to the end of the time appointed for 
the fast, then he is brought into the presence of the 
chief. A great feast is laid, honors are poured upon 
the youth, and he becomes now a warrior of his tribe. 

So it was with the gentle-hearted Nir-ig-wis, who 
loved the birds too well to shoot them ; for to his 
ears the music of their songs was sweeter than the 
warrior’s shout. 


97 


98 . 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


Still, when his time came, he took the mat which 
his mother had woven, and went forth into the forest. 

Each morning his father came to him with words 
of cheer; but, though his heart was strong within him, 
each morning found him more weak and pale, until 
on the morning of the ninth day he could only drag 
himself forward to meet his father’s call. 

“Fail not, my son,” said the father. “Only three 
more days remain. Forget not that you come from 
a line of chiefs ! ” 

On the morning of the tenth day, the boy could 
only raise his hands to his father as he came and 
stood beside his mat. And though the father’s heart 
was moved with pity for his son, his face softened 
not, and again he said : “Fail not, my son ; only two 
days more remain. Forget not that you come from 
a line of chiefs !” 

The morning of the eleventh day came, and the 
father went again and stood beside the mat of his 
son. Yery pale and still he lay; hardly could the 
father say whether life dwelt within the body. But 
the boy opened his lips and whispered : “ Take me 
home, 0 my father. Only the mischievous manitos 


LEGEND OF THE OPECHE. 


99 


are about me, for I shall never be a warrior, brave 
and bold and strong to endure.” 

But the father said : “Fail not, my son. Only to- 
day remains, and to-morrow, even before the sun has 
risen above the waters, and while the birds are 
waking, I will come, bearing with me food and the 
rich wine of the grape. Then strength will come 
back, and you shall sit in the tent of the chief. 
Think, my son, of the music and the feasting and the 
honor ! And the warriors of the tribe shall say : 
‘Behold, another brave youth, born of a line of 
chiefs ! ’ ” 

But the boy heard the words only faintly ; and 
when the father was gone, the boy’s own good manito 
came to him and gave him strength and hope and 
peaceful sleep. “ To-morrow you shall come and dwell 
with me,” said the manito; “for it is not for your 
gentle soul to find the joy in war and bloodshed.” 

Early when the morning of the twelfth day dawned, 
the father hurried forth into the forest, bearing in his 
hands meat and bread and wine. 

“Now, my brave boy,” he cried, “the fasting is 
ended ! Arise and eat and drink ! The chief waits 


IOO 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


to welcome you, and the youths and maidens even 
now are singing the story of your brave endurance ! ” 

But alas for the father's hopes ! There lay the 
mat beneath the great trees, but the boy was gone. 

“My son! my son!” the father cried. But no 
boy's voice gave answer, and the father threw himself 
upon the mat and groaned. 

“ Chee ! chee ! chee ! chee ! chee ! chee ! ” called a 
sweet voice from the branches overhead. “Chee! 
chee ! chee ! ” 

“The sun still shines and the birds still sing!” 
the father wept. Then the little bird in the branches 
overhead came down, and spoke in the words of the 
Red Children : 

“Sorrow not for me, my father. For see, my own 
good manito has given me the life of a bird, and I 
shall be forever happy and free. Though I came 
from a line of brave chiefs, it was not for me to be a 
warrior. So be glad for me, 0 my father ! ” 

And when the father looked, behold, there stood 
before him a bird such as he had never seen before. 
It was large and tall, and upon its breast were 
feathers bright and red. 


LEGEND OF THE OPECHE. 


IOI 



102 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


“ O-pe-che ! o-pe-che !” cried the father, which 
means Robin Red-Breast ; and he ran back to his 
wigwam to tell his people what had happened. 

Then the O-pe-che came and alighted upon the 
wigwam of the chief; it flew round and round the 
wigwam of its own father and mother ; it called to its 
old playmates ; and never from that time to this has 
it forgotten its love for the homes and villages of 
man. For it loves to build its nest in the trees not 
far from their houses, and to hover about the play- 
grounds of the children. 


THE LAND OF THE HEREAFTER. 


u 0 good manitos, good manitos!” prayed a young 
Brave, “tell me, where has my sister’s spirit gone? 
Will she never again come back to her home ? Will 
she never again grind corn for her father and her 
brothers ? Will she never again sit in her wigwam 
door and weave and sing ? ” 

Then the manitos pitied the young Brave and 
said: “Your sister cannot come back to you, but 
you shall go to her. 

“ Listen now to our words. Go out upon the 
broad plain and shoot an arrow into the skies. 
Watch how it falls, for that shall guide you upon 
the way you shall take to reach the Isles of the 
Blessed, where now your sister dwells.” 

The young Brave did as the manitos bade him, 
and the arrow fell to the West. 

Then, as the red Sun sank in the clouds behind 
the mountains, the young Brave set forth. “ I will 
follow where you lead, 0 Sun,” he said. 

103 


io4 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


For many long days he journeyed on, up high 
mountains, through deep ravines, across broad plains 
and rivers, foot-sore and weary ; still he rested not. 

u I go to find my sister,” he said to himself, and 
so kept his heart light and his courage strong. 

At last, on the shores of a great water, the Brave 
came to a tiny lodge hidden among the trees of a 
dark forest. 

“ Who comes to my lodge ? ” a voice called from 
within. 

“I come to find my sister, who has gone to the 
Isles of the Blessed,” the young Brave answered. 

u Surely you are a daring youth,” said the old man 
of the lodge. “ Do you know what trials await you ? 
what dangers shall confront you ? ” 

“I know not, neither do I care!” the young Brave 
thundered. “I dare meet them all, if only in the 
end I may find my sister.” 

“Come in, good friend, and rest,” the old man of 
the lodge said, pulling aside the bearskin to 
welcome the youth. “ Often brave youths have come 
to this lodge to seek the dead ; but none so brave as 
you have come. So enter, and I will guide thee to 


THE LAND OF THE HEREAFTER. IO5 

the Land of the Hereafter — to the Isles of the 
Blessed, where now your sister dwells. 

“ Look out across this mighty lake. Do you see 
the pale forms floating in the sky far beyond the 
water ? Those are the Blessed Ones ; and it is 
there the great Islands lay.” 

Then the young Brave threw down his bow and 
arrows and went down to the waters of the lake. 
There, waiting for his coming, lay a white canoe ; 
and in the canoe sat a pale, white form. And in his 
hands he held two white oars. 

He spoke not, but the young Brave understood. 
He took his seat in the' canoe, and away they sped 
across the waters. 

All night long they rode, and at sunrise reached 
the opposite shore. 

Here lay the Islands of the Blessed ; and on the 
shore stood the young Brave’s sister to welcome him. 

“Welcome, welcome, brother!” the sister cried; 
and the young Brave stepped on shore. 

“ Come with me,” she said. And, taking him by 
the hand, she led him up and down the fields of 
flowers. She showed him the purple hills which 


106 LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 

stand at sunset out against the sky. She showed 
him flowers and grasses such as he had never seen 
before. And there was a sweetness in the air that 
filled the young Brave’s heart with joy. 

The forests were full of animals, and the waters 
were full of fish. But all were without fear ; and, as 
the young Brave approached them, they ran to meet 
him, and rubbed their heads against him, like the 
dogs of his own wigwam. 

For days and days the young Brave wandered up 
and down the Happy Hunting-Grounds, and talked 
with the friends that had so long since left the wig- 
wams of the Red Men. 

All were happy; all were at rest, and all wel- 
comed him with joy. 

Then the sister said, u My brother, you must now 
return to your people. You have been given this 
visit into the Isles of the Blessed that you may go 
back and tell your people of the life that awaits all 
brave warriors when they come down to the Lake of 
the White Canoe. 

u Tell them about all that you have seen, that it 
may help them to be brave and true. Tell them that 


THE LAND OF THE HEREAFTER. 


107 



AN T) WHEN THE YOUNG BRAVE APPROACHED, THE ANIMALS RAN OUT TO 

MEET HIM. 


io8 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


the Great Spirit loves them and watches over them 
always. And that when the right time comes, they 
shall come to the land of the Hereafter, where all is 
joy and peace. 

“ Be brave and true, and some time you shall come 
again. There is work yet for you to do in the world 
of the Red Men, and there are those that need you 
there. When your time has come, then again you 
shall enter the Isles of the Blessed ; but not to 
return. For then your wigwam will await you 
here, your wigwam, your horse, and your dogs. 
Again you will be a brave warrior, and shall dwell 
forever in this Happy Hunting Ground.” 

Then the young Brave went down to the shore. 
Again the white shade in the white canoe came for 
him, and together they rowed across the lake. 

There the young Brave gathered up his bows and 
arrows and returned to his home in the wigwam 
village. 

There was a strange light in his eyes, and a look 
upon his face like that upon the face of no other brave. 

“I have seen the Land of the Hereafter !” he said. 
“I have seen the Isles of the Blessed !” 


THE LAND OF THE HEREAFTER. IO9 

The people gathered around him, and he told 
them all that he had learned and all that his sister 
had said. For never before had the Red Men known 
what life awaited them in the Land of the Here- 
after. 

“It is the Great Spirit that has permitted us to 
know all this,” the chief said. 

Then a great feast was held ; sacrifices were 
made, and there were games and dances. For thus 
it was that the Great Spirit taught his children and 
made them ready for the life that should be theirs, 
when, they should float out upon the waters 
toward the Isles of the Blessed — the Land of the 
Hereafter. 


THE HIAWATHA LEGEND. 


On the banks of the Tioto dwelt the Wise Man, 
Hiawatha ; and this name was given him by his 
people because of his great wisdom in council and 
his bravery in war. 

No one knew this Hiawatha’s father, no one 
knew his mother, for most high and mysterious 
was his origin — descended from the spirits of the 
air. 

Wonderful things could Hiawatha do. He could 
run like the wind ; he could leap a cloud high in the 
air ; the birds and beasts and insects knew his voice 
and loved him ; with his arrows his aim was never- 
failing ; and in his magic canoe, he could sail with- 
out paddles up and down the river and across the 
lakes. 

It was Hiawatha who taught his people to pre- 
pare the soil and plant the corn, to shoot the deer 
and dress the skin, to make the water-courses and 

clear the ground for fishing. To his wisdom the 
110 


THE HIAWATHA LEGEND. 


Ill 


Red Men listened ever, and they did whatever he 
bade them do ; for his laws were wise and his judg- 
ment always true. 

Once Hiawatha dwelt in the home even of the 
Great Spirit, and it was there that he grew so wise 
and good and brave. But because of his great love 
for man, and because he knew the need the Red 
Children had for him, he left his home in the land 
where the Great Spirit dwells, and came down to 
help and teach them here on earth. 

By and by there came a time when war broke out 
among the tribes. Down from the North swept 
savage tribes, who fell upon the villages of the Onon- 
dagas and burned their wigwams. The cornfields, 
too, they destroyed, and they carried away the women 
and children captives. 

Then the chiefs came to Hiawatha and begged 
that he would help them. 

“Join together,” Hiawatha said, “into a great 
confederation. Bring together the chiefs of the 
tribes East and West and South. Hold a council. 
Choose one chief, whom all the tribes — yes, even the 
chiefs of the tribes — shall promise to obey. Then 


1 1 2 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


will you be able to protect your homes and drive 
back the warriors from the North.” 

This the people agreed to do ; and with Hiawatha, 
the council was to be held on a high bluff beside the 
lake. For three days Hiawatha sat in his wigwam, 
praying to the Great Spirit. Then, taking his beau- 
tiful daughter with him, he set forth to the assembly 
in his magic canoe. 

On the bluff the Red Men waited ; and when they 
saw the canoe upon the sparkling water, they raised 
a great shout of welcome. But as Hiawatha landed 
from his canoe, lo ! a monstrous bird appeared in the 
sky above. It was like a great, white cloud ; and 
when it swept across the sun, the light was cut off, 
and a great darkness fell upon the lake. 

Terror filled the hearts of the people, and even the 
face of Hiawatha grew pale and set. Nearer and 
nearer the great bird circled, his wings stretching out 
from lake to lake. Then, with a mighty swoop, it 
darted downward and fell upon the head of Hia- 
watha’s daughter. 

Hiawatha knew that never again should he see his 
daughter’s beautiful face, for already he had read the 


THE HIAWATHA LEGEND. 


n 3 

omen. “Raise the bird,” he said to his people, “and 
from it pluck the strong, white feathers. Wear these, 
and let them be henceforth your badge of war.” 

They raised the great bird, but beneath it they 
found not the body of the maiden. “Soon shall 
I go to join her,” Hiawatha said. The shadows 
of grief fell heavily upon his upturned face. 

“And now,” said he, stretching his hands out 
above the people, “listen to the words I would speak 
to you : We are friends and brothers. You are 
members of many tribes, and you have come from East 
and West and South. From a great distance you 
have come, for we need one another's help. The 
Northern tribes must be driven back. How shall 
this be done ? Never by our tribes singly. Only 
by uniting in a common band of brotherhood may 
we hope to succeed. Let us do this, and we shall 
drive the enemy from our land. 

“Listen to me by tribes. You, the Mohawks, 
sitting beneath the shadow of the great tree whose 
branches spread wide around and whose roots 
sink deep into the earth, shall be the first nation, 
because you are warlike and mighty. 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


114 

“You, the Oneidas, who recline your bodies 
against the everlasting stone that cannot be moved, 
shall be the second nation, because you give wise 
counsel always. 

“You, the Onondagas, who have your habitation 
at the foot of the great hills and are overshadowed 
by their crags, shall be the third nation, because you 
are gifted in speech. 

“You, the Senecas, whose dwelling is in the dark 
forest and whose home is all over the land, shall be 
the fourth nation, because of your superior cunning 
in hunting: 

“And you, the Cayugas, the people who live in the 
open country and possess much wisdom, shall be the 
fifth nation, because you understand the art of raising 
corn and building lodges. 

“Unite, therefore, ye five nations, in one common 
interest ; then no foe can disturb or subdue you. 

“You, the people who are feeble, and you who 
are a fishing people, place yourselves under our 
protection, and we will defend you. And you of the 
South and of the West, do the same, and we will 
protect you all. 


THE HIAWATHA LEGEND 


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Am) ^S HE sat in his canoe, lo! the air was filled with sweet music. 


Il6 LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 

“Brothers, if we unite in this bond, the Great 
Spirit will smile upon us, and we shall be free 
and happy and prosperous. If we remain as we are, 
we shall be enslaved, ruined, perhaps annihilated. 
We may perish under the war storm, and our names 
be no longer remembered by good men, nor be re- 
peated in the song and dance. 

“Brothers, these are the words of Hiawatha. I 
have spoken. I am done.” 

And now that his mission among the Red Chil- 
dren was done, Hiawatha went down to the waters ; 
and as he sat again in his canoe, lo ! the air was 
filled with sweet music. Over the lake a soft light, 
golden and red and purple, fell. The heavens blazed 
with glory, and away into the flood of light and 
music Hiawatha drifted. 

Out, out across the lake the people watched him, 
until the purple mists fell upon the magic canoe and 
they could see his form no more. For he had gone 
from them forever — their friend, their counsellor, the 
wise, good Hiawatha. 

“Then they said ‘Farewell forever!’ 

Said, 'Farewell, 0 Hiawatha !’ 


THE HIAWATHA LEGEND. 


T1 7 

And the forests, dark and lonely, 

Moved through all their depths of darkness, 
Sighed, ‘Farewell, 0 Hiawatha !’ 

And the waves upon the margin, 

Rising, rippling on the pebbles, 

Sobbed, ‘Farewell, 0 Hiawatha !’ 

And the heron, the shuh-shuh-gah, 

From his haunts among the fen-lands, 
Screamed, ‘Farewell, 0 Hiawatha!’ 

Thus departed Hiawatha — 

Hiawatha, the Beloved. 

In the glory of the sunset, 

In the purple mists of evening, 

To the region of the home-wind, 

Of the Northwest wind, Keewaydin, 

To the Islands of the Blessed, 

To the Kingdom of Ponemah, 

To the Land of the Hereafter.”* 


The Song of Hiawatha. H. W. Longfellow. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. 


THE POLE STAR. 


The forests were dense ; and the Indians, weary' 
with their days and nights of wandering, lay down 
by the side of a great river to rest. For many, 
many moons they had hunted in the forests and on 
the plains ; hut the bad manitos were beside them, 
and the deer had fled like wind before their swiftest 
arrows. 

The hunters were famishing ; their chief had 
fallen ; and they had no canoes with which to cross 
the river. 

“Let us hold a council,” the warriors said. So 
the council was held ; the tobacco burned brightly ; 
and the warriors danced about the council fire. 
Suddenly in their very midst there appeared a cloud 
of mist. At first it was tall and thin, and reached 
far up above the tree tops. The warriors forgot 
their dance, their song, their council fire. They fell 
upon their faces. u It is a manito,” they whispered. 

Then the mist sank lower and lower ; it swept 
118 


THE POLE STAR. II9 

across the council circle and came and stood before 
the burning tobacco. 

For a time it swayed to and fro ; then a form 
appeared — the form of a little child. There was the 
light of a manito upon its face, and in its hand it 
held a war-club that shone like fire. 

“I come,” said the child, “to guide you safely 
home. For many moons you have wandered; you 
are weary, and famine is upon you. But you have 
been brave warriors ; and the Good Spirit forgets 
not the brave.” 

The warriors rose and followed where the little 
child led. All night long they followed. Then the 
child turned towards them saying, “ Best now ; and 
while you sleep a feast shall be prepared for you. 
Wait here for me; and when the great sun’s light 
has gone again, I will come to guide you on through 
another night.” 

So the warriors rested and feasted ; and when 
evening came, again the mist descended in their 
midst, and the child stood again before them. 

And the child bore upon its shoulder, a skin jug 
and a horn cup, into which she poured a sparkling 


120 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


water and bade each warrior drink. And as they 
drank, a great strength came to them: and they 
arose and followed the child again. All night long 
they pressed forward through the forests; and in the 
morning came out into the open plain with hills on 
every side. On the plain, herds of deer were brows- 
ing, and from the hillsides fresh sweet waters 
gushed forth. Here the child left the warriors, 
promising again to come when darkness fell upon 
the plain. All day long the warriors drank of the 
waters and feasted upon the tender venison, and 
slept in the warm sunlight of the hillsides. 

At night again the mist descended, and the child 
came out from the cloud. 

u I need not guide you across the plain,” the child 
said. “For behold, the Great Spirit has placed a 
star in the heavens that shall be a guide to you 
forever. 

“ Ti-yn-son-da-go-err ! A star that shall never 
move ! There in the North it shall stand, sending 
out its light to guide the Red Children who lose 
their way in the great forests or on the wide plains. 
It is the gift of the Great Spirit.” 


THE POLE STAR. 


12 


And as the child pointed towards the northern 
heavens, behold, a bright star blazed out from the 
darkness. All night long the Red Children watched 
the skies. They saw the stars move around the 
horizon ; they saw the stars overhead make their 
circle in the zenith. But this one new star — the 
star the little child had brought — of all the innumer- 
able company of stars — this new star changed not. 

“ It is as the little child has told us,’ 7 the warriors 
said. 

Then they fell upon their faces and cried, u Ti-yn- 
son-da-go-err ! Ti-yn-son-da-go-err ! ” 

Then they held a great feast and offered sacrifices. 
And from that night to this the star has stood in its 
place in the heavens, unchanging and true — a guide 
for the Red Children who wander by night in the 
forests or out upon the great hunting grounds that 
stretch from sea to sea. 


THE THUHDEBEBS. 


“ Who are you ? ” called a strange looking man 
from out the door of a cave. u Who are you ?” 

A poor half-dead warrior lay upon the rocks be- 
fore the cave. He had fallen from a high precipice, 
and lay there too weak to move. 

“ I am a hunter,” the poor warrior answered weakly. 

u And why do you lie here at the door of my cave ?” 
the strange little man asked again. 

“I must have fallen from the precipice above; for 
truly it is no wish of mine that I am here.” And 
the poor warrior groaned with pain. 

“You are ill,” the strange little man chuckled; 
and as he spoke the hairs of his beard stood out 
like porcupine quills. “ But I can make you well. 
I can make you well.” 

“ I will bring you wood for fire and game for food, 
if only you will make me well,” the warrior groaned 
again. 

“Fire and food are just what I need,” the little 
122 


THE THUNDERERS. 


123 


man chuckled. “ I will make you well.” Then he 
hobbled out from his cave, leaped from rock to rock, 
and disappeared around a great cliff. Very soon 
he came leaping back again, looking more like a 
porcupine than before with the great brushes of 
bristling herbs in either hand. 

He steeped the herbs in a great kettle, dancing 
and singing as he stirred it like a medicine-man of 
the tribe. 

“Drink !” snapped the little man when at last the 
medicine was ready. The warrior drank; and as he 
drank, behold health and strength came back to him. 

“Now go and hunt for me,” growled the little old 
man, his beard bristling with ill-nature. 

The warrior set out obediently; and came back 
with game enough for two. 

“Very well,” the little old man growled. “Now 
cook it for me.” 

For many moons the warrior dwelt in the cave of 
the old man working for him — hunting, cooking, 
watching the fires. Some times he was very weary ; 
for the little old man proved a hard master. He 
longed to get away and to find his way back to his 


124 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


home ; but he was bound by honor to the old man ; 
for a warrior never breaks a promise. 

At night he would go out into the valley and look 
up at the sky. And when he saw the Pole star he 
would say, u That way my home lies.” 

And he would think of the warm wigwam and the 
bright camp fire ; and of the mother and wife and 
little children who must long ago have given him up 
as dead. 

The little old man was mysterious. Sometimes 
the warrior believed there was a spell upon him ; for 
in the flickering light of the cave fire, he would 
crouch and crouch, and his beard would bristle and 
bristle until he seemed like a very porcupine rather 
than a man. 

At last one day in early spring, when the snows 
were melting and the rains were heavy, then ap- 
peared before the warrior three tall cloud-wrapped 
figures. 

u Who are you?” the warrior cried. 

“We are the Thunderers,” was the answer that 
rolled back as if from the distant mountain peaks. 

The warrior fell upon his face. 


THE THUNDERERS. 


2 5 


“Fear not,” the Thunderers called again, this time 
more softly. u We shall do you no harm. It is our 
mission to do only good. To bring showers when 
the fields are dry ; to fill the lakes and rivers ; and 
even to strike down with lightning flashes people 
and animals, reptiles and insects that are ill-abiding 
upon the earth. 

“And to-day we have come to destroy the old 
man of the cave — the man whom you serve, and who 
is porcupine rather than man, as you shall see when 
once we shall have lifted the veil from him. 

“ But we must have your help. See ! we will slay 
this great bear for you. Go then to the cave and 
bid the old man come out to help you drag your 
game to cave. Once here we will sieze upon him 
and you are then free to go to your own home.” 

With joyful heart the warrior hurried to the cave. 

The rain had ceased ; the sun was shining brightly 
now. The little old man peered out from his dark 
cave. 

“You are sure there are no clouds in the sky,” he 
asked anxiously. 

“Not one cloud,” the warrior answered. 


126 


LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 


“And the sun is high ?” 

“ The sun is midway between sea and mountain.” 

Then the little old man crept out. The sky was 
indeed clear, and the sun was high. He listened 
closely ; then he hurried forward a few steps only ; 
then he stopped again to listen. 

“You are sure you have heard no thunder?” he 
asked in a whisper. 

“You see how clear the sky is,” the warrior 
answered. 

And so at last the old man made his way to where 
the slain bear lay. 

With greedy, cruel hands the strange old man fell 
upon it, cut it in pieces and started towards the cave 
with its skin over his shoulder. 

But just then the thunder rumbled in the distance. 

The old man stopped and stared at the skies. 
Louder and louder, nearer and nearer the thunder 
rolled. 

“It is strange,” he said, “and the sky so clear.” 

Just then a great peal crashed across the skies. 
It echoed and re-echoed down the valley. With a 
shriek, the old man threw down the skin and ran. 


THE THUNDERERS. 


127 


And as he ran, behold he fell upon his fore feet, a 
great snout pushed forward, quills bristled, and he 
fled like the wind — a man no longer, not even in 
semblance — but the fiercest, ugliest, most terrible 
porcupine that the Red man had ever seen. 

On, on, the thunders rolled in quick pursuit. 
Flash after flash burst upon the huge creature who 
had all his life done only harm to man. One more 
crash of thunder ! a flash of scorching light ! and the 
purcupine fell lifeless — at the door of his den. 

‘'And now, brave warrior,” said the Thunderers, 
you have helped us to rid the earth of one of its 
greatest evils. You are free now to go home to your 
own tribe who still mourn your absence.” 

Then the Thunderers rose high in the air, and 
floated away across the mountain tops. But as they 
rose, there floated down their own robe of cloud- 
garment, settling upon the shoulders of the warrior 
like a piece of golden sunset glory. 

“ Hide this in the forests,” the Thunderers mur- 
mured ; “then you may join us when you will and 
float with us across the skies.” And so the warrior 
became to his people the man of the Golden Cloud 


128 ‘ LEGENDS OF THE RED CHILDREN. 

Robe ; and when each year the spring returned he 
would bid his people farewell, go away to the forest 
where his robe lay hidden, and with it float up 
to the mountain tops where the Thunderers dwelt. 
With them he would float, seeking out wrongs to 
right, the whole long summer time. 

And when the Autumn came and the nights grew 
long, the people in the wigwams would say, “Sum- 
mer has gone ; soon he will come back to his people 
— this brave man of the Golden Cloud Robe.” 










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